Ah….do you smell that?…no not my hyperbolic afterjuice! I’m talking about College Football in November. The season is heating up. There are several undefeated teams left that are trying to make their way into the playoffs. Only 4 teams are in.

Some people were shocked when Clemson was ranked #1 in the College Football Rankings. But not this alien – I’m a Clemson fan…mainly because of a certain #90 that plays for them: Shaq Lawson.

In 2015 Clemson lost Vic Beasley and Stephone Anthony to the NFL…You would expect a falloff by the Clemson defense. But nope – Shaq Lawson does’t fall off – Shaq makes you fall off!

The Clemson defense is giving up less than 17 points a game in 2015. In a large part because of their pass defense which gives up less than 160 yards a game. And what fuels that pass defense – you know the answer to that: The Pass Rush!

OUCH!!!

That is the sound most ball carriers make around Shaq Lawson. Shaq is listed at 6’3, 270 pounds – he shed about 10 pounds before the 2015 season cutting his body fat from 20% to 17%.

For most of Shaq’s career he was backing up studs like Vic Beasley. But even as a freshman he managed to have 4 sacks, which tied a Clemson record for a freshmen. In his sophmore year he added 3.5 more sacks.

This year, in eight games – Lawson has 6.5 sacks. This guy is going to bring a lot of pressure in the pros.

Could the Dolphins be interested in a player like Lawson? Well considering Cameron Wake’s season ending injury, Olivier Vernon’s pending free agency and Dion Jordan’s ehhh….NFL POOPERY…yes the Dolphins might be in the market for a defensive end in 2016.

Hmmm….I wonder how Lawson would look next to Suh…..

If I was going to compare Shaq Lawson to an Alien Weapon of Destruction, I would compare him to an Intergalactic Buzzsaw slicing its way through offenses!

Good call jetssuck. I also think the NFL should allow Tannehill to be guarded by crocs. Get an auto ball snapper, and someone to think for him…and this offense will be going places we have never seen, even with Dan the Man.

PIGGY, VERY NICE ANALYSIS!! – – – Be sure to leave a copy on T-Baum’s porch!! – – – Ross has foolishly WASTED tons of money on players selected by Ireland and T-Baum. In fact, one sports observer said “Move over, Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones. There’s a NEW CONTENDER for the title of “Most money spent by an NFL owner with NOTHING to show for it in the last decade. The name of that new title contender is STEVE ROSS!!”

“Power of Sports Proves Positive at Mizzou,” says the headline in the spots section of today’s TAMPA BAY TIMES. In his article, sports writer Tom Jones details some of the sordid events at the U. of Missouri during recent months and president Tim Wolfe’s inadequate/non-existent responses to these events. The role played by the Mizzou football team, and their head coach, Gary Pinkell, is spelled out in detail. Fine reading for those who believe sports can have a meaningful and positive impact on our lives.

Talk about your “Groundhog Day”.. Here we are, just hitting the middle-mark of the 2015 NFL season and Wedge is already pressed into service, identifying our needs and searching for the “acorns that become the mighty oak”… As the late Yogi Berra would say, “It’s like deja vu, all over again”.

We’ve actually been in contention the last couple of years at this point, only to die at the end. Unfortunately, regardless of when we’re out, you’re correct, once we again, we’re an irrelevant team in the NFL, in a year where so many teams suck in the AFC. Shame on us!

Mike E,
I contend that our record was misleading. Although we were not mathematically eliminated, do you really believe we were still “in it” at any point during that time? We may have hoped, we definitely wanted to believe, but at the end of the day, I don’t thin we really thought we were still contending- at least, I didn’t.

I must be overly pessimistic- I have fairly consistently predicted an 8-8 average record over the past several seasons- I have not been confident about this team, it’s leadership nor it’s commitment to making the necessary changes to field a winner since the Saban years. I have not once in that time period believed we had the team that had a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. I did hope that the Parcells regime was going to prove out, but after year 2, it too soured my feeling on this teams’ ability to field a contender.

I didn’t think Joe Philbin was the answer, especially when it came down to the big games, the ones that we needed to win to stay in it, but, we were there. but we never seized it. Seems to me like there’s not a lot that separates a bad football team from a good one, as far as talent on the roster is concerned. Coaching can help put you over the top, and not coincidentally, the teams with good coaching seem to be there every year.

But it’s not just coaching. There is a systemic problem with the construct of the team that needs to be addressed. I see others on here now saying things like “clean house (management/ops) and wipe 75% of the team”. Identify those worth keeping (Landry?) and let the rest pound sand.

Sorry I just can’t get into the draft at this time. Not that there is much more to get excited about with this team, but it’s just too early for me and prospects. So much has to happen first, like the college season being completed then all the research into character, the combine and pro days. A lot changes from now until then.

We really need CB’s. I know we have plenty of needs, but man, Grimes is getting old, and after him, we got nothing. I don’t think Taylor is an NFL starter, and although I hope Lippett and McCain can develop, not sure either one can be a starter either.

Wiping the roster clean is unrealistic, it takes years to purge a roster. I wish we could trade Suh and his contract, because it was a mistake. As good as he is, he can’t make the defense better, and his salary is ridiculous, so if someone would trade for him, I’d trade him in a second. Tannehill is fine, yes he’s flawed, but most QB’s are, even the best, meaning Romo, Rivers, Flacco etc. He can be as good as them in the right offense, but some OC needs to let him know he has to take more responsibility, and be a thinker on the field. We need new LB’s, and 2 DE’s, 1 to replace Wake, 1 to replace Vernon if he leaves in FA. We need an OT, and an OG. I think CB is our biggest glaring need, and I also think we need a TE.

First thing that needs to happen is to find the new regime then they need to learn the personnel and go from there. The systems we run might be based on what they feel they have as opposed to fitting players to the system. Please let the offense not be shotgun dominant. 🙂

Not a fan of the ACC but i have deliberately watched Clemson games this year because of Lawson. He’s a big dude who moves like a cat and is always around the ball, i really like him as a prospect and even more so than Lawson Jr. from Auburn.

If we wind up letting Shelby walk, and Vernon, i think we should try to get both the Lawsons, as we also need to prepare for departure or more frequent injuries with Wake.

Wake is an amazing speed rusher but he has had several achilles injuries recently that either practically eliminated his effectiveness, or took him off the field all together. He’s 33 and we cant expect him to hold out forever.

There is only one DE i really cover more than Shaq Lawson and thats Robert Nkemdiche, who we may actually have a shot at. You can roll him in and out of the DE position and he offers Suh like ability inside and Wake like ability outside. 300+ guy who moves like a cat. Go look at some of highlights to see what i mean, including a few times they have used him as a RB and WR.

I also think Bullard from UF is a very good candidate. Leonard Floyd from Georgia is a good candidate, as well as Jonathan Allen from Alabama.

There are some really good player on our roster, we dont need to wipe the roster but it may be a good time to shed expensive contract so the new coach can get the people he wants as well. If there is a GM change (which im not currently supporting one) then that also means there needs to be some cleanup of old regime players who are pricey. I think you will definately see them look to re-negotiate both Grimes and Wake and it may lead to cutting them. I think ineffective player despite the cost will be considered for at least being moved to reserves (if they are still under rookie contract) or cut if they are vets. Sheppard, Bowman, Brice McCain, Misi even, Mitchell since cutting him cost nothing in dead money, Jennings, Fox, Albert may be asked to take a pay cut as well.

New regime also doesnt bode well for any of the contract guys…. More likely to let them test FA than re-sign them. Miller MAY be the only one right now a new coach might want to keep around because he has dynamic play ability. Vernon, Taylor, pretty sure they wont be resigned unless its at a home team discount.

D,
Agree, right now things are weak in certain areas and since it is a team sport, 2 bad apples spoils the bunch.
I watched some of the long plays over the last 2 weeks and it seems better LB would have done the job.
It’s sad but despite Misi’s lack of instincts as a MLB, he still handled situations in traffic better than guys lining up there now.
The FS issue has been ignored for a while as well and needs a resolution. Walt Aiken may get better in time but right now this team needs a better option. Their last attempt was drafting Clemons .
I know Dion Jordan is an afterthought for some but he remains a real option in Wake’s absence and also Vernon’s pending contract.

Delmas was suppose to be the other safety. The issue we have is we have a lot of young DBs out that at the same time. There is a learning curve for young players and especially at DB. It’s not easy to play back there with the league rules the way they are.

Mike E,
I don’t know we haven’t had a good head coach. You can believe that, but there is no more proof of that than there is we draft crappy players or we make stupid contracts or we put poor management practices in place or our owner meddles too much or all of that or none of that.

As far as it “taking years to purge a roster”, what’s the difference? It’s been years since we’ve been a consistent, competitive team. Why not get as “clean from the stench” as you can? it’s taken x years to get here- you have to consider it may take x years to get to where you want to go.

We do know that some of these players have been part of teams that don’t show up in big games under three different head coaches. It seems that other players who have been added to the team recently also don’t show up in big games. When I say big games I mean division games or games that could help us make the playoffs.

Try Pod,
Unfortunately for Miami we had a series of bad events one after another in the personnel department. Nick Saban left the team with nothing (shit drafts) then Parcells/Ireland plugged in solid players but no super stars at key positions, then a new coaching style under Philbin caused management to start with new types of players that were not ground and pound but more WCO. After Ireland now the front office is busy restocking and building a functional OL/DL which the previous management team couldn’t do.

OK- but I’m not sure how that addresses or counters what I have said- the cause(s) of why we are here are varied, and any one or all of them combined could be the problem. We can do the Raiders thing and keep the same f’ed up system in place, only now to seem to be righting itself after 4 years of new leadership, or we can go the Steelers way, and put a solid system in place and be consistent.

Mike E,
Who cares about Grimes contract, rookie contracts are cheap and the team will find other ways to cut salary to fit under the cap. That’s an easy exercise. The cap is going to increase next year, it always does by default.

The Steelers and Ravens as franchises both do a great job of drafting certain guys, developing them, then drafting a replacement right away for those guys 3 years down the road and then dumping their developed players for cheaper guys who are on the development timeline to maturity. Rinse and repeat for them. The Fins are not good at this.

I eluded to this above- their system is in place and they follow it without fail. That’s not to say it is not adaptable to new information and changes in circumstances, but the basic system seems to be honored.

It sucks but I really don’t care who stays and who goes under a new regime. I just want to see this team become a team that competes more often than not and is a pain in the ass to beat as opposed to what we’ve been seeing.

Explain to me specifically what you mean. If we get rid of Tannenbaum, Hickey, and all the coaches, won’t that be a new system? I’m sure some of the players we have are worthy of staying. They’re not all losers, just because they lost here,

Mike,
Understand I am not trying to be difficult -lol. At some point you have to concede you have been doing something the same way and need to change if you want to see positive results. I have not seen anything that says one aspect of the team seems to be performing at or above desirable standards. I think the system in place is flawed- a flow chart, if you will- and needs to be re-thought. Get that new system in place, find the people who meet the standards dictated in the system, and go from there. You can use the Steelers system or the ravens system as a template, if you like, or the Patriots. You can be stubborn like Mike Brown and use the Bengals system, and at least get consistency (lol) and occasional payoffs. Or you can keep the same system in place, try plugging in new people as processes seem to fail, and get to where we are.

Id keep Cameron and re-negotiate with Grimes. Several other places we could cut and Cameron has been getting open, Tanny just isn’t making the read and hitting him. He is a good player who is being under utilized.

Looking at that I think we are pretty locked into our top say dozen guys. They either have a contract where it makes no sense to cut them or are playing well enough that you wouldn’t want to. IF we are going to make room it will be the restructure route.

Of this group i could see a little effort put towards Moore, Shelby and maybe Mosley, but i don’t think that they bend on it being at their terms.

Then there are our bigger guys to consider.

Olivier Vernon, I think we would like to re-sign him, but ultimately he is going to get a bigger contract than we offer.

Rishard Matthews, I think we do make a decent offer to him, but i doubt its more than the market dictates.

Lamar Miller, I think we put most of our effort to re-sign Miller and i think we offer a pretty decent contract to him. I think he may get comparable ones elsewhere, and potentially better. It may be he re-signs but im about 50/50 on the prospects of keeping him.

Bigger thing though may be who we have thats expensive, old regime and flexible in their contract language.

Albert will count 10mil against cap, 5 of which would be dead money if we cut him next year, 5 mil would be cap savings.

Wake would be almost 10 against cap if kept, 8.4mil in savings if cut. Given his age, its possible they can get him to re-negotiate.

Grimes is in a similar boat, almost 10 against the cap, 6.5mil in savings if cut.

Earl Mitchell actually doesn’t cost that much. 3.5 against cap, only save 2 cutting him. Depends on how badly thy need to clear space and what new regime thinks of his fit in their system.

Misi is about 5 against the cap, with about 3.75 in savings if cut. May be work keeping, again depends on same as with Mitchell.

Brice McCain and Jason Fox kinda fall in same boat, not a lot of savings if cut, dont cost much but they both horribly under perform so im sure if they are looking to cut even more, they will both be gone.

Jamar Taylor actualy still has next year on his rookie contract (i made a mistake in stating he was a FA this coming year) so he may stay since he still is one the cheap.

Also, its good to point out, if a new regimes comes in the luxury of having Grime might not outweigh them doing a reboot at the position and going after a high pick in the draft. Depends if their mindset is complete rebuild or retool…. I cant say what it could be but Grimes is probably at very least going to be asked to re-negotiate, which probably makes Miko tell him to go somewhere else lol.

Good to point out, our feeligs on the player, and maybe even out feeling on how well they pay are not the same as making a business decision, so keep in mind people who are costly will all have a target on their back, especially since we are bringing in a new coaching staff.

As for TE’s the prospects are so bad im evaling FB’s to kinda be a Danny Woodhead role player for us or kinda sorta in the mold of Clay…TE’s this coming year is a shitty shitty pool, and its guaranteed that you will have to over pay for these shitty TE prospects since they are sparse. The ones that are out there currently with 2nd round grades, only Henry comes close to deserving it, and i think its pushing it with him. OJ Howard from Alabama has potential but i have never seen explosive play on any consistent basis so, even with he as one of the nations top prospects its more a guessing game if he is as good as people THINK he can be or if he is what his play has shown him to be. Gronk’s brother is a FB prospect who could also fit that mold but i think a lot of hype is made about him because of his genetics, not actual performance.

I think too much is being made of lack of performance. Game in and game out he is disruptive, i would not trade him, cut him, etc. He isnt playing badly, and likely with a better staff they may get more out of him.

Marino is a first ballot hall of gamer, never won a super bowl. Don’t care about their individual records, care about team goals being met. If I can get 3 solid contributors for one high-priced HOF, I have to consider it, particularly if I am considering a rebuild. Though I concede I would not get rid of Marino, as qb’s are a premium in today’s nfl.

Agree with this but i think there are common denominators that will be independent of the candidate and likely will be set in motion before the next candidate is hired. Some candidates after all will not want to walk into a mess with the cap. We arent backs against the wall in cap hell but we may be more attractive to candidates if we clean up some or at least have a plan to do so. I think several players mentioned and those we may plan on resigning are in this boat. No matter who comes in, those guys will have targets on their backs. Who comes in, etc will play into how they ultimately get handled but i could for see Wake and Grime for sure being asked to renegotiate or else by whomever comes in.

Tim Knight says:
November 10, 2015 at 11:24 am
We really have to wait to see who the new regime will be and which way they may go with players. We don’t know the style and mentality of the kind of team the new HC wants to build.
Reply
————————————————–
D says:
November 10, 2015 at 11:39 am
Agree with this but i think there are common denominators that will be independent of the candidate and likely will be set in motion before the next candidate is hired. Some candidates after all will not want to walk into a mess with the cap. We arent backs against the wall in cap hell but we may be more attractive to candidates if we clean up some or at least have a plan to do so. I think several players mentioned and those we may plan on resigning are in this boat. No matter who comes in, those guys will have targets on their backs. Who comes in, etc will play into how they ultimately get handled but i could for see Wake and Grime for sure being asked to renegotiate or else by whomever comes in.
Reply

mike,
I highly doubt suh is gonna be traded. Not if Tannenbaum is still here. Suh was his main signing last year.He’s not gonna give up on it that quickly.
And I bet suh will have a say on the next coach or at least the next DC.

I don’t think this team needs a rebuild, the issue here is that you have a situation where you are putting together a high powered car with cheap tires and rims and a shitty suspension system. I think the engine is fine (the core).

I agree we have some good players, but i think the rebuild may not be due to having good players, as much as it will be who comes in wanting THEIR players. Its not necessary but i think a very high potential for gutting some of the top contracts.

Mike, i do agree that generally you want to be free of things like that when a new group comes in but i think this situation is unique in a couple different ways.

1) Suh is a feature here, he’s a selling point, and no one coming in would feel slighted to have a player like him and would be willing to work around the cost. Id say they would be more concerned with the contract given to Tanny than Suh, but Tanny’s contract actually has the ultimate out clause after i think next year, maybe the one after.

2) Suh’s contract doesnt give them any wiggle room, and severely limits any potential for trading. We may have over paid but thats the nature of FA these days. Whomever is the top guy at his position will get a contract that has absurd numbers attached to it. All coaches in the NFL know this, all coaches coming into the NFL know this.

I talked about it yesterday, on Shady’s 48 yard TD run, Jelani Jenkins went straight at the outside blocker (gRimes was the outside defender) and not the ball carrier which left the gap open and then the safety (forget who it was, let the guy go right by him because he was sitting waiting for him instead of moving forward to force McCoy to cut earlier (which would have slowed him slightly for antoher defender to catch up).

D,
I agree, coaches want their style of players but at the same time, they keep many of the current players they inherit. The draft is where you see influence from the new coach in terms of what he expects the GM to do.

It probably will be one of the two, Grimes or Wake cut and the other asked to re-negotiate. Then they address the one they cut in the draft with a high pick like Hargreaves or Nkemdiche and the other they draft a guy with potential to replace the other the next year.

I don’t think there are too many coaches out there who would NOT want Suh on defense or Reshad Jones. In fact, if any coach during an interview is asked how they would build the team and Suh is not mentioned, i’d reject them on the spot and tell them they are a fool 🙂

They probably would but id say that Tanny would be on a tight leash given his contract language and the fact he really declined this year vs the upward trend he had previously. Id bet that a somewhat high draft pick will likely be dedicated to a QB and the guy they pick will tell you a lot about both the offense they are going to run and whether Tanny may be out in a couple years when the out clause goes into effect.

I don’t think his decline is that substantial. He’s also played well. Everyone knows he can play but maybe a new coach will want to take some off his plate like not having him play in shotgun 95% of the time and throwing 35-50 times every week. 😉

Id expect Lippett, or someone to draft his replacement more so than looking at our current roster for his replacment. Lippett has potential due to his size and going a different direction from the smaller quicker CB to a more rangy one. I dont see Bo McCain as a Grimes replacement, i see him as potential nickle corner or a replacement for Taylor.

Also it isnt so much the rankings of him as CB that will factor into if he gets asked to re-negotiate, i think its the cap number, his age, and the fact he shows to be in somewhat decline. Negotiations arent about the liklihood he accepts it. Its about a team doing what it needs to to manage their cap. There is potential they wont bother, but i really expect them to. The accepting of it is on his side knowing what the consequences are if he rejects it. There are teams im sure will love to have him but would they offer him more at 34 years old on a one year contract than we would in our negotiated restructure?…..

The way this league is going, I’m going aggressive on offense until they get it going on all cylinders. Draft more WR (taller ones), more higher end OL (OG first then OT; hell maybe even a bigger Center than Pouncey), etc. There is no such thing as enough weapons 🙂

—————————————–
D says:
November 10, 2015 at 12:01 pm
Also it isnt so much the rankings of him as CB that will factor into if he gets asked to re-negotiate, i think its the cap number, his age, and the fact he shows to be in somewhat decline. Negotiations arent about the liklihood he accepts it. Its about a team doing what it needs to to manage their cap. There is potential they wont bother, but i really expect them to. The accepting of it is on his side knowing what the consequences are if he rejects it. There are teams im sure will love to have him but would they offer him more at 34 years old on a one year contract than we would in our negotiated restructure?…..

we are gonna have same amount or almost same amount of cap space as last year. No need to start cutting productive players.
——
Agree.
Expect with a player like Wake, it’s hard to be productive with a busted achilles.
Going forward he’s a likely cut candidate unless he can prove he can come back at it full strength.

Im thinking they cut Wake due to the injury and re-negotiate Grimes and i would expect them to extend him a year (something beneficial to him like more guaranteed money year after next) and ask that he take a 2-3mil cut, which would pretty much put him as 7-8mil.

Jenkins was solid at UF in the Middle. He’s got good instincts. He’s on the outside due to coverage ability and blitzing. I think he suits us best at outside since we dont really have anyone else with his coverage ability but i wouldnt mind seeing him in the middle.

Piggy, Shaq Lawson, he sucks. jk/bb….He’s a guy that’s been on my radar since week 1. Is built like a prototype of Wake almost to a tee!

We got to pressure the QB’s in our division on a consistent basis since we play them 6x a year.
In our division games I see the opposing QB’s with plenty of time to scan the field and go through most all of their progressions.
That is part of what killed Grimes on Sunday!

We talk about coaching chages but one of the changes that has hurt us was losing Kacy Rodgers. Imagine what he ‘might’ be doing with a new toy like Suh in his stable….just sayin!

The coaches went away with what worked vs the Titans/Texans.
Many teams in the NFL continue to run while being down double digits. The Patriots did that to us a couple years ago as did the Panthers while being down double digits and they both ended up winning their games outrushing Miami.

Try, good to hear. I really think Chud has it. He’s a former TE & TE coach like Campbell, but years ahead in experience.
When Cleveland prematurely fired him cause the new owner wanted to ‘clean house’, Chud still was under contract. But instead of sitting back cruising off the free money like I would’ve done…lol…He said he wanted to stay in the game at any level, so he went right back to work as an asst HC to Pagano in Indy.
Now he’s their OC & likey will become their new HC in 2016. Pagano has worn out his welcome.

I think he’s really hungry to show what he really can be as a HC again!

I can see tannenbaum going with a defensive minded coach as the next HC. I heard he wanted to fire Philbin last year and hire Dan quinn from Seattle but Ross vetoed it. HE also hired rex ryan when he was with the Jets who was also a defensive minded coach.

IT might not be a bad idea. Make sure the defense is solid. We haven’t had a defensive minded coach in a while. It might be a good thing.

tim,
Yea I think he was the agent or something but I still think going with a defensive minded coach is not a bad idea. THey usually want to play good defense and run the ball which is what I think is needed for tanny to succeed.

Defensive minded coaches like todd bowles, quinn and mike zimmer are doing well as HCs right now.

I think the Skills to be a HC dont always translate from coordinator to HC, that said i also dont think that a good HC really matters if its former OC or DC. Pats win because of their offense not defense, Bowles is winning playing simplified football, good running game, game manager QB and solid defense but you can win without that formula too. See GB. Giants are winning in spite of having the worst defense, so is Atlanta. DC of the year, Dan Quinn comes into Atlanta and the Offense is keeping the team afloat. There really is no consistency in these facts to support that a former DC as a HC makes our defense better. A former OC and OL coach couldnt make either our OL or our offense elite.

That would be bad, instead of spending time breaking down film and game planning they might be in the hot tub drinking apple martinis and feeding each other grapes. I don’t see how that would help us. LOL

D says:
November 10, 2015 at 1:41 pm
I think the skills to be a HC dont always translate from coordinator to HC, and these strengths they had at their previous position dont always transfer with them. That said i also dont think that a good HC really matters if its former OC or DC. Pats win because of their offense not defense, Bowles is winning playing simplified football, good running game, game manager QB and solid defense but you can win without that formula too. See GB. Giants are winning in spite of having the worst defense, so is Atlanta. DC of the year, Dan Quinn comes into Atlanta and the Offense is keeping the team afloat. There really is no consistency in these facts to support that a former DC as a HC makes our defense better. A former OC and OL coach couldnt make either our OL or our offense elite.
Reply

Exactly why I keep talking about real good solid Coordinators.
I like Rah Rah Mancampbell as a HC, he’ll get better at clock management etc.
But he’s a leader a motivator, a guy the players can relate to and be loyal to!

But he needs a lot better Coordinators than the 1st time guys we have now or have had.

Get Mancampbell a Norv Turner type & a Wade Philips type as Coordinators and watch this team go!!!

Tim Knight says:
November 10, 2015 at 1:32 pm
When putting coaching staffs together remember there needs to be a connection between coaches. Head coaches hire people they know through some type of connection.
—————————————
Yeah a coach, especially embarking on a new job wasn’t people who will be behind him and not potentially sabotage him.

D,
my point was that defensive minded coaches would like to win by running the ball and playing good defense. And I think that’s the only way tanny could become a playoffs type QB. He can’t carry a team. Whatever team he’s on has to play good defense and run the ball.

Tanny more so than a lot of them though Tim. He is more a game manager than a carry the team guy. Game managers HAVE to have that kind of setup to be successful. Russel Wilson isnt winning a championship without it. He’ll he probably will be hard pressed to make the playoffs with out it. Fitz Patrick would probably be 0’fer were he not to have it. The very elite QB can win without their team playing its best or with certain phases of the team game not working. Ryan isn’t one of those guys.

Bad part is the difference between a playoffs caliber QB and consistent playoff/championship caliber Qb is that he can carry the team when needed. Thought maybe that where he was headed but im beginning to accept it isnt. My expectations for him may have been and always have been too high

I know it sounds crazy but i really would like a college coach to move up and be our coaches. Id like to see someone hungry, some one who is use to working with the talent they have no matter what that might be, and college coaches from power conference teams know how to do that.

In regards to Chud and his previous HC stint, hey well he wouldn’t be the first.
Belichick wasn’t hot in Cleveland (He had Bernie Kosar as his QB there so what’s the excuse?) and Mike Shanahan’s first HC stint was with the Raiders where Al Davis fired him LOL.
It works both ways in terms of new first time HC and also 2nd go around coaches. You just have to see what made the coordinator successful to deserve the 1st time HC job and also if the 1st time HC looking for 2nd job warrants a look (based on what factors lead him to be fired…personnel? philsophical differences with management? etc).

D,
Out of the college ranks, i’m only really intrigued by maybe Auburn’s coach.
I doubt Dan Mullen wants to bail from Mississippi State, but I’d take a look at him too.
Mark Richt would be perfect for the pro game (he runs the pro style somewhat at UGA) but he has mega job security there at UGA and is in a great situation…Doubt he would want to leave.

I hear that Richt is on unsteady ground this year. UGA has been patient with him but he just never gets it done, and this year i have been hearing some of the fans calling for him to be gone. He is beloved by that team and fans, so makes me think something up when all of a sudden he is getting called out by them.

Mullen is going to stay at Miss State i think for a while. He is losing his QB this year, and sometimes the prospects of trying to find one (as we well know) is daunting. He might would bite if the offer was right.

Malzahn and Richt are my top choices, though i think Brian Kelly from ND has dones some good stuff with that program since he took over.

Dan Quinn after a 5-0 start has lost 3 out of last 4, with losses to the Bucs & 49er’s.
—–
Sounds like he’s the next Josh McDaniels, who in 2009 started off 6-0 and missed the playoffs as the Broncos went 2-8 the rest of the way LOL.

Read several guys talking about the approach I want to see. We need a stable, good GM to bring in a coach he can work with. We need to wipe the books with any high priced vets and break this bad habit of being major players in FA every year. No rookie HCs. They will fail with a young, untested roster. I’m fine with Tannehill, but time to draft some new QBs that can hopefully develop at least into potential replacements or maybe we even hit the lottery and find a franchise guy. Can’t find them if you don’t draft them.

Stability in the front office with long term vision. An organized coaching staff with good coordinators. A HC that brings something to the table. A coaching staff that inspires players and gets them to practice, prepare, and play year round as if their jobs are on the line.

Unfortunately, I don’t think our current FO is what we need. As much as I like Campbell, he is not ready for all of this. And we don’t have a QB capable of carrying the team. We can’t change owners, so we are stuck with Ross. Start with the FO and go from there.

Agreed, but we haven’t really even tried to date. Take a chance with the 2nd or 3rd rounder or at least a late round pick.

Tough spot with Tannehill. He’s everything you want character/work ethic/arm. Lacks in some key areas that make me doubt he’ll ever be special. Put a great team around him and he’s a playoff QB though.

We need two young guys with potential behind Tannehill. We could get this defense turned around in a matter of a year or two with some good drafts and coaching. The OL will need to be addressed, but there is certainly a chance of putting a good young team around Tannehill. If he doesn’t take another step the answer might be going with a young QB that doesn’t eat up 20 million of cap space.

My two favorite QBs in the league are RT and Alex Smith. They are both pretty much the same QB though. You need to give them a lot of help to be successful.

As I think about who to blame for this phins shitty season I have to go back to Ross. I know some of you think that he’s a great owner. I just think his hiring/firing decisions are the reason we haven’t had a winning season in 8 years, and the reason we all are looking forward to the draft again in early November. Fuck you Ross.

Our offense has failed to put up many points which is a big reason we are struggling, but no question the defense has been the major issue since mid-season last year. Coaching definitely an issue, but seems to me like many of the guys have gotten old and lost a step as well as backups or replacements not playing up to par.

The defense is a mess. You can’t let opposing teams run at will on you, pass at will, and score at will.
3 of our 5 losses we’ve been scored on 44, 36, 33, & 27 for a 4th loss.
The only close loss we had was @ Jax.

That tends to put the offense in a hole scoring wise & very 1 dimensional.

Tim im for drafting a QB that will both challenge RT as a potential replacement or settle in as a solid backup. There are two ways this thing with Tanny can go, and despite your overall optimism that he will be great some day it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a guy who might push him to reach that height or be ready if he cant. I also think a new coach might want a guy who cant run the offense HE wasnt to, not the one he might have to run with Tanny. Its possible the coach wont be in love with how Tanny plays so i think its very likely new coach will mean a QB draft pick (probably not a 1st rounder, but definitely something more than a late round flyer.

I don’t think anyone here thinks Ross is a great owner, but I think he’ll spend whatever it takes to win, and doesn’t interfere with the daily workings of the team. Not sure what else he’s supposed to do. He came in saddled with the Parcells regime, and now he’s hired Mike Tannenbaum, which I’m not thrilled with. We better hope that Tannenbaum finds his groove, or that Ross makes wholesale changes and everyone is out. Then we have to hope the next guy he hires is the right guy.

he needs to fire/hire people at the right time. He should have fired philbin 2 years ago and should have fired Ireland with sparano and hired a real HC at that time. He has no clue when it comes to building a winning front office. Yes he spends money but so do all the other owners.

Ross is the problem. THere is a reason we haven’t sniffed playoffs in his tenure as the owner. Now he fired philbin and will keep tannenbaum. Its groundhog day.

Realistically, that wasn’t going to happen. Ask Tim or Jahn how they would have felt if Ross fired Philbin 2 years ago. I know you and I would have been happy, but a lot of fans would have felt that he was too trigger happy. I think the big mistake he made was pursuing Harbaugh when Sparano was still the HC.

Drg,
The defense is a mess. You can’t let opposing teams run at will on you, pass at will, and score at will.
3 of our 5 losses we’ve been scored on 44, 36, 33, & 27 for a 4th loss.
The only close loss we had was @ Jax.

That tends to put the offense in a hole scoring wise & very 1 dimensional.

I think All of them have shown something either in PS, or limited time in games. I see this as on of our most promising drafts in a while. Ced is really the only ? at this point. Lippet has shown flashes and i hope to see some real game ones soon. Bo. McCain has already moved into the rotation and is getting lots more game time. Ajayai just showed us he runs with decisiveness and looked pretty good on limited touches. Douglas was holding down RG until they moved to a more power run (and then forgot to stick with it) system. Phillips has like 2 sacks in limited opportunities and looks good when he is out there and Parker really shined in PS before the surgery, something that just takes time to recover from. This isnt a failed draft its just not what we as fan were hoping for…..WEEEE NEW TOYS I WANTS TO PLAY WID THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did say “Yet”.
But you typically want/need to get more out of your top 3-4 picks than we have so far. Any coach would say so.
2016 will be more a barometer of the 2015 draft moving forward.
But it would be nice to have 1-2 guys helping to win games like James & Landry did last year.

Also take into consideration that just like Harbaugh wouldn’t come here because Sparano was employed, and he didn’t look upon that favorably, a lot of potential coaching candidates would hesitate to come here if they fired the HC after 1 season, and not even a terrible one. It ended poorly, but it was just 2 games.

Dumping a coach after one season unless he is the walking example of complete retardation is in itself stupid. I doubt i have seen many examples of a coach that after year one, no matter their record, that i thought to myself…man that guy needs to go. Thats not just for us i mean thats for all teams. You gotta let it have a chance to get off the ground before you declare it a crash and burn.

Boulder, why would you fire Philbin after two seasons at 7-9 and 8-8 after inheriting a 6-10 team? The earliest Philbin should have fired was after last season because it was a repeat of his 2nd season collapse. So Ross held onto him a few months too long. You make it sound like he was here 6 years. LOL

Timing on the Philbin firing was spot on. He looked to be taking the team in the right direction, he was in a no excuses kind of season and he started out not just failing but looking horrible doing it. He needed to go when he went, not before, not after but spot on when it happened.

The Raiders and the Browns fired coaches after pretty short stints and it didn;t really work out for them

it sort of sucks though b/c I think we knew was Philbin was before he was fired
but there is a public perception issue to balance too
and I’m not talking about perception of the fans
I mean perception of people in the industry that might be potential candidates or have an ear to potential candidates

I did say “Yet”.
But you typically want/need to get more out of your top 3-4 picks than we have so far. Any coach would say so.
2016 will be more a barometer of the 2015 draft moving forward.
But it would be nice to have 1-2 guys helping to win games like James & Landry did last year.

Quiz of the day……who said it and who is the player?
———-
“We married in 2009, and share two children”. [Then the couple faced discovering an ex-girlfriend was pregnant.]

“It was a challenging thing because here I am, you know, thinking I’m dating this guy. We met, we started dating, everything is great, and then this happens. I felt I didn’t know what to do … Eight years later, I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter bonus child.”

I actually think the offenses treats the defense worse than the defense treats the offense

does that make any sense….

yep. absolutely, but then again i am a man, so yeah i have no problem thinking like a pig.

but piggy just like our sunday talk, this doesnt excuse anything on the defense, they are still as much as fault. but i totally get what you mean by it is easier for the offense to bail out the defense. just ask the defenses of the marino era.

I don’t think anyone here thinks Ross is a great owner, but I think he’ll spend whatever it takes to win, and doesn’t interfere with the daily workings of the team. Not sure what else he’s supposed to do.

mike,

i dont know about that. i think he is pretty damn good. i mean what makes an owner great, well then other then owning the commissioner, what makes an owner great? i think ross has over and over shown his commitment to making this team a winner. he may not have made the right decisions so far, but that just means he was wrong, not a bad owner. i am sure i am going to be shown the light on why he sucks, but from my standpoint i cant ask for more then an owner trying to win. hey, he isnt a glazer.

I wasn’t knocking Ross, I defend him all the time, as I was in that statement. Like I said, he will spend whatever it takes to win, so I can’t fault him for listening to advisors that didn’t do a great job.

I wasn’t knocking Ross, I defend him all the time, as I was in that statement.

yeah you were, you knock every body. that shit you keep saying about tim is over the top, and i dont really care what you say about ken, he is okay in my basement. and piggy? come on mike who doesnt like bacon but you.

I think Marino could win championships now without a defense. The rules have changed so much. He’d be scoring…a lot. You’d probably need to score 30-40 points a game to beat him most games. Give him even an average defense, and he’s gonna win in today’s NFL with how the rules are.

Tim,
Yes, I wasn’t trying to do a comparison, just commenting on how much things have changed in the NFL and the emphasis on offense and scoring. Things have changed so much. Not a ton of 17-14 games nowadays.

Agreed. I liked the more physical let them play game better. I feared what I was seeing in college the last 6-8 years or whatever was going to change the NFL this way along with Madden and FF. Well here we are.

I know you’re not a big Tanny fan but I think he’d be really good in a conventional WCO, the way the 49ers played it back in the 80s and 90s. I don’t think shotgun takes advantage of his skills enough and puts him in tough spots too often. That’s just me if I was his coach. 🙂

He’s a better pass when you want to than pass when you have to QB. Lot’s of QBs are like that. We make him a pass when you have to QB way too often. Not many can handle that. I’d rather see more 30/35 or 35/30 than 20/45 or 25/40. Sometimes it’s even worse than that.

Hopefully whoever the new regime and/or coaching staff are, they recognize his strengths and weaknesses and put it in play. I feel like we’re constantly experimenting with RT and the offense. Settle in with some bread butter plays already. Ugh!!! LOL